1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods of electrically interconnecting the bit contacts of a semiconductor memory device and the corresponding digit lines of the semiconductor memory device. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of forming a conductive strap between a bit contact and its corresponding digit line. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of forming such a conductive strap on a semiconductor device having adjacent conductive lines that are spaced less than about 0.2 microns apart. The present invention also relates to semiconductor devices including bit contacts operably linked to corresponding digit lines by means of such conductive straps.
2. Background of Related Art
Conventional semiconductor memory devices typically include an array of memory cells, each of which is in communication with a word line and a digit line. Due to the demand for semiconductor devices of ever-increasing density and ever-decreasing size, the semiconductor industry has sought ways to fabricate semiconductor devices having smaller, more compactly organized features. Thus, in semiconductor memory devices, the sizes of various features, as well as the spacing therebetween, have decreased. For example, the width of state of the art digit lines has decreased to about 0.2 microns or less. The spacing between adjacent digit lines has similarly decreased to about 0.2 microns or less.
Conventionally, photomask techniques, which typically employ visible to deep ultraviolet (xe2x80x9cUVxe2x80x9d) wavelengths of light, have been used to fabricate the digit lines of semiconductor memory devices. The sizes of features of such photomasks are, however, limited by the wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation employed to define these photomasks. As a result, the sizes and spacing of features defined either directly or indirectly by such photomasks are similarly limited.
The art does not include a method by which semiconductor memory devices that include digit lines with widths of less than about 0.2 microns and digit line pitches of less than about 0.4 microns may be more efficiently fabricated. Moreover, the art does not teach a method of fabricating semiconductor memory devices having increased feature density and which employs conventional techniques and equipment.
The present invention includes a method of fabricating semiconductor-based memory devices, which are also referred to herein as semiconductor memory devices or as semiconductor devices, that include a semiconductor substrate with conductivity doped active areas extending thereacross in substantially mutually parallel relation to one another. Shallow trench isolation (xe2x80x9cSTIxe2x80x9d) areas are disposed between adjacent active areas so as to electrically isolate the adjacent active areas from each other. Word lines and, optionally, grounded gates are disposed over the semiconductor substrate, transversely relative to the word lines and grounded gates. The digit lines of the semiconductor memory device extend transversely over the word lines and grounded gates. Preferably, the digit lines are disposed substantially over the STI areas of the semiconductor memory device. Digit contacts, which are also referred to herein as bit contacts, are disposed between adjacent word lines and between adjacent digit lines that are oriented substantially perpendicular to the word lines. The digit lines have a width of less than about 0.2 microns. The digit lines, which are also referred to herein as bit lines or as column lines, preferably have a width as small as about 0.15 microns or less. The word lines and grounded gates of the semiconductor memory device also have widths of less than about 0.2 microns and may have widths as small as about 0.15 microns or less.
The method of the present invention may be performed on a semiconductor device including a semiconductor substrate with substantially mutually parallel active areas extending thereacross and separated by STI areas, mutually parallel word lines extending transversely relative to the active areas and STI areas, substantially mutually parallel digit lines oriented transversely relative to the word lines and positioned substantially above the STI areas, and an array of memory cells. Digit line contact areas are located on each active area between adjacent digit lines and between adjacent word lines. The word lines are located at a lower level than digit lines on the semiconductor device.
A digit contact plug is disposed in contact with a digit line contact area and extends through several layers of the semiconductor device to facilitate the formation of an electrical connection between the digit line contact area and a corresponding digit line located several layers above the digit line contact area. In semiconductor devices embodying teachings of the present invention, a strap extends between the digit contact plug and the corresponding digit line. Thus, a digit contact plug and a corresponding strap together facilitate electrical communication between a digit line contact area and a corresponding digit line.
In accordance with the digit contact plug-strap fabrication method of the present invention, columns of bit contact areas of the semiconductor device are exposed through a mask, while regions of the semiconductor memory device between adjacent rows of bit contacts are substantially shielded, or masked. For example, a mask, such as a photomask, may be disposed over the semiconductor device such that portions of the bit lines are exposed through apertures of the mask. Preferably, the mask has a striped appearance and includes elongate apertures that are positionable over the desired digit line contact areas, substantially parallel to the word lines and grounded gates, and transverse to the digit lines. Alternatively, the mask may shield substantially all of the features of the semiconductor memory device except for the regions of the digit lines proximate each of the digit line contact areas and to which an electrical link with the proximate digit line contact area will be established. As another alternative, the mask may have apertures that expose regions of the digit line side walls that are to be removed to facilitate the fabrication of a strap and, thus, the formation of an electrical connection between a digit contact plug and the digit line that corresponds thereto.
A dopant may be directed toward the semiconductor device at an angle nonperpendicular to a plane of the semiconductor device. Thus, while at least portions of a first sidewall oxide of the exposed regions of the digit lines will be doped, the digit lines will substantially shield a second sidewall oxide on the opposite side of the digit lines from the dopant. Oxide caps of regions of the digit lines exposed through the mask are also doped. Preferably, the dopant is selected to facilitate the removal of the exposed doped insulative regions of the semiconductor device with selectivity over the exposed undoped insulative regions of the semiconductor device. Arsenic and phosphorus are exemplary silicon oxide dopants that may be employed in accordance with the method of the present invention.
The exposed doped insulative regions of the semiconductor device may be removed by known processes, such as by employing a selective, or preferential, etchant. The etchant employed substantially removes doped oxide regions without significantly removing material of the undoped oxide regions exposed through the mask, other undoped oxide structures, or insulative structures of other materials, such as silicon nitride (e.g., the sidewalls or cap of the word line therebelow, which can be fabricated from a silicon oxide or a silicon nitride). Preferably, as the doped oxide regions of a first sidewall of the digit lines are removed, the conductive element of each of the digit lines is exposed.
A quantity of conductive material, such as polysilicon, may be disposed over the bit contact adjacent to and in electrical communication with both the bit contact and the exposed conductive element of the corresponding digit line. Preferably, individual electrically isolated slugs of conductive material are disposed within the trenches, in contact with each of the bit contacts, and in contact with exposed regions of the adjacent digit lines. As the conductive material is disposed in contact with the exposed regions of the digit lines and their corresponding bit contacts and is, therefore, in electrical communication with both a bit contact and its corresponding digit line, the straps of conductive material facilitate electrical communication between the bit contacts and their corresponding digit lines. The conductive material may be blanket deposited over the semiconductor device, then removed from above the digit lines and word lines by known processes, such as by masking and etching techniques, in order to define conductive straps that are electrically isolated from one another.
Further fabrication or processing of the semiconductor device may then be performed by known processes.
Semiconductor memory devices including digit lines having widths of less than about 0.2 microns and spaced less than about 0.2 microns apart from one another and fabricated in accordance with the method of the present invention are also within the scope of the present invention. Preferably, the semiconductor memory devices of the present invention and semiconductor memory devices that are fabricated in accordance with the method of the present invention include digit lines having widths of less than about 0.2 microns and pitches of less than about 0.40 microns. Accordingly, adjacent digit lines are preferably spaced less than about 0.2 microns from one another. Preferably, the digit lines have widths of about 0.15 microns or less.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art through consideration of the ensuing description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.